In a token bus communication system, a logical token is used as arbitrator to avoid conflict between entities (called herein ‘nodes’) that contend for access to the bus. A node which has possession of the token is free to send a data packet to another node by specifying the destination node's address in a transmitted packet. The destination node may then transmit an acknowledgement packet to the source node. The source node may then transmit another data packet or pass the token on to the next node. If the token is passed on, the receiving node may acknowledge receipt. The invention particularly aims to provide a token bus system with improved responsiveness, data throughput and determinism.